Former pro basketball player among 4 Bergen County members of 'James Bond Gang' arrested last week

Star-Ledger fileAn undated file photo of Sean Banks, who attended the University of Memphis after graduating from Bergen Catholic High School in 2003. Banks was charged last week along with three other men after allegedly burglarizing a Sparta house.

SUSSEX COUNTY — Sean Banks was talent on the basketball court and had troubles off of it.

The 6-foot-8 Englewood native starred for two seasons with the University of Memphis before a marijuana arrest, disruptive behavior and academic issues forced his departure in 2005. He signed as an undrafted rookie with the New Orleans Hornets but was soon cut from that team for a gambling allegation before ever playing an NBA game. The 26-year-old was still hanging on in the NBA Developmental League last year, hoping for a comeback.

Now, the court challenges he faces have nothing to do with basketball.

Banks and three other Bergen County men were charged this past weekend with burglarizing high-end homes in Sparta and in Jefferson, and may be linked to a larger organized burglary ring known as the James Bond Gang, the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office said today.

Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller said the four suspects were part of a group of about 20 gang members operating in northern New Jersey and New York who targeted homes in affluent neighborhoods, often breaking into two or three luxury homes per week.

The four were arrested Friday night in Sparta after allegedly trying to flee from police in a stolen SUV, which was found to have more $20,000 in jewelry and other valuables taken during the two heists, authorities said.

The James Bond Gang, which dates back to the late 1980s, got its name from a tricked-out BMW used by a group of Bergen County-based burglars that had secret compartments and a flip-up license plate that hid a blinding light used to thwart police. The car reportedly also had featured an oil slick-squirting pipe behind the bumper.

Mueller wouldn’t say specifically why law enforcement officials believe the four men arrested were part of the notorious gang, or were just copycats.

"We think they’re in the gang based on some of the methods they used during the burglaries" in Sparta and in Jefferson, he said. Mueller said the investigation continues and is expected to yield "many more" charges against the suspects.

Banks, Aasim Boone, 28, and his brother, Akeem Boone, 26, all of Englewood, and Jerry Montgomery, 29, of Teaneck, were arrested following the high-speed chase in a stolen Chevrolet TrailBlazer after allegedly burglarizing a Sparta home.

During a court hearing today in Newton before Superior Court Judge Edward Gannon, Banks identified himself as a professional basketball and, upon questioning by the judge, said he was a graduate of Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell.

Banks played for two seasons, 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, at the University of Memphis and later played professionally in Tulsa in the NBA Developmental League, and in Puerto Rico.

"I’m not a criminal," said Banks, who had white gauze bandages wrapped on both hands from injuries he suffered in the crash. "I understand this is a serious matter and I intend to treat it as such." His bail was maintained at $30,000. Banks was not driving the vehicle, authorities said.

The Boone brothers and Montgomery appeared at separate hearings before Gannon. All four men said they would hire private attorneys to fight the charges.

Montgomery’s bail was raised to $100,000, after it was discovered he had been free on bail pending unrelated charges he burglarized homes in Somerset County and in Orange County, N.Y. "With this individual, if he’s out on the street he’s going to be breaking into houses," Mueller said.

The judge maintained Aasim Boone’s bail at $175,000, but increased Akeem Boone’s bail to $50,000 because of two previous criminal convictions.